An Unexpected Outcome
by baconalia
Summary: Slightly AU. Doyle, Scarlet and the kids are alive but not exactly where they remember. It could be the beginning of a new life.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This fic might end up being _slightly_ altered (a tad AU I suppose could be the word?) but nothing too extreme. The infected still exist, but Doyle and Scarlet aren't dead etc. Let's just say they ended up… _somewhere else._

This is what happens when I get bored and friends encourage me to write things.

_**Disclaimer**_: I own nothing except my own ideas and characters (unfortunately).

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The dead silence was foreboding. Not a single cry from a crow could be heard but then again, there were no crows. Crows had long since stopped scavenging from the corpses. Doyle motioned for the rest of the group to stay close as Scarlet leaned heavily upon his side before continuing to hobble forward. Tension was high amongst the four, they were in a completely different place and they weren't exactly sure as to how they had arrived. However, the group welcomed the sight and feel of the lush green grass and the shade provided by the numerous large trees.

A sudden crunching of leaves and the sound of rapid -if not panicked- footsteps snapped their minds back to the present. With a practiced ease, Doyle brought his rifle up to his shoulder and glanced down the sights of the M4 before ushering the rest of the group to continue in the direction that they were headed. A gentle sweep of the thumb and the safety was off.

An individual clothed in ill fitting army fatigues and worn balaclava came sprinting from between the trees, the black work boots destroying any underbrush that was in its path. A rather large cloth sack was securely strapped to the back of the runner with what looked like a motley array of shoe laces. Cradled in the person's gloved hands was an M16 and Doyle had no doubts that the weapon was live. Still, he did not lower his own firearm but instead he was waiting for the person to get close so he could hit with some accuracy. Of course, that was before he heard the muffled yelling.

"_Move! Move! Move!"_

Despite the voice being muffled, nothing could obscure the obvious tone of urgency. As the human came within meters, Doyle barely saw its eyes narrow in what he presumed to be frustration. Only a few seconds later and the person came to an abrupt halt about 3 feet in front of Doyle. _"You think I'm fuckn' around army boy? Get your ass in overdrive, they're not far behind. Follow me."_ The voice was still incredibly muffled but because of the close proximity, that didn't really matter any more.

Doyle gave a curt nod, making the split second decision to trust this person. He motioned to the kids and Scarlet, urging them on ahead to chase after the person who obviously had no qualms with leaving people behind.

They all moved at a sprint with the exception of Scarlet who kind of just hobbled as fast as she could. It wasn't more than 200 yards before a rather large brick building came in to view. If he had to guess, Doyle would say it was probably at least 3 floors and by the time they had reached the door by which the person stood, Scarlet was relying heavily on Doyle to help her move. A slight jingle of keys could be heard and there was a slight glint of metal before the door was yanked open. _"Go all the way to the third floor and wait for me at the door. Get her,"_ a finger was pointed at Scarlet, _"up first. We don't want her to fall behind."_ Their footsteps were loud as the four scrambled up the stairs but the dull click of the first door locking shut was even louder.

Another glint of metal and a fast twist of the wrist opened the heavy metal door to the 3rd floor and the person all but shoved them in to the hallway, yanking the door closed behind them and listening for the telltale locking noise. A loud sigh of relief came from the person as the dull click was heard, signaling that the firearms' safety could be switched on. _"Safety on kiddos. This floor is clear and quite frankly, I don't want any holes in the walls."_ The individual hardly waited for Doyle to comply before once more ushering them down the hallway lined with doors, only to stop about 3 doors down from the stairwell. A different key was pulled out and shoved in to the various keyholes before the door was able to be pushed open. Tammy and Andy got the hint and followed the person in to a rather small room, Scarlet and Doyle trailing behind the two and shutting the wooden door after they entered.

The room was rather dark with the curtains pulled shut and two desks shoved up against the window to further block any possible entry. Small mattresses covered in a random mix of blankets were shoved under the lifted bed frames, providing adequate sleeping space for multiple people. One closet door was slightly ajar and inside, a ridiculous amount of food could be seen. The other closet held a small assortment of firearms and their appropriate ammunition as well as various supplies.

They watched, unsure of what to do, as the person gingerly tucked its weapon away in the closet and began untying the shoe laces that bound the cloth sack to its back. Tammy was the first to speak; a slight tremor was audible in her voice. "W-who are you?"

The cloth sack fell to the ground with a dull thump as the person turned to face the four survivors. With some rather ungraceful movements and a harsh tug, the person pulled the black balaclava from its face to reveal a very weary looking young woman whose blonde hair was plastered to her face and neck with sweat.

"A survivor, like you."

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A/N: Kind of a short chapter and I am sure there's a good amount of flaws, typos and general inconsistencies. But nevertheless, I hope you guys enjoyed it and **please,** _please, __**please**_ leave feedback in the comments. I would greatly appreciate it.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Nothing new to state.

**Dmfritsc:** It sounds like you may have been struck with a disease that is not very well known. We tend to call it '_Renneritis'_. Thank you for the review!

_**Disclaimer**_: I own nothing except my own ideas and characters (unfortunately).

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There was no gasp of surprise, no shocked expressions. Nobody had any reason to be remotely surprised; after all, survivors will always exist.

The de-masked woman gave a small smile. "You'll have to forgive any harsh words I said; safety was my main priority, not pleasantries." She paused, giving the four bedraggled survivors before her a good once over and tutted softly. "Formal introductions can come later but you guys look like you could use a shower. How's'at sound?"

Tammy's eyebrows shot up at the mere mention of showering and the concept of finally being clean again, "you have hot water?" Excitement was beginning to creep in to her voice. "Aye. This campus has its own little power generator too, which, if you ask me, is a godsend," a momentary pause and she motioned towards Doyle as well as Andy, "now you guys'll have to forgive me, I don't have much in the way of men's clothing."

The unspoken question was mixed with confusion and the woman allowed a slight laugh. "What y'think I'm just gonna trash your clothes? Just a'cause I don't have a washing machine doesn't mean I can't wash clothes." She grabbed her set of keys from the barren bed frame and headed for the door. "If you guys'll follow me, I'll show you where the bathroom is. It's more or less in functioning shape."

It wasn't the nicest looking bathroom in the world, especially since it was for half a dorm floor's worth of girls. The bathroom had a grand total of 5 bathroom stalls and 5 showers as well as one very odd bathtub that looked as though it had seen better days. As the group shuffled inside, the woman began pointing things out. "In those two lockers are towels, there's only four so you each have to make do with one. The locker next to it has a couple of wash clothes and bars of soap and below it is a random assortment of shampoo and razors. The showers are self explanatory and if you could please leave your dirty clothes on the floor so I can wash them, that'd be great."

She glanced over at Doyle who had an eyebrow cocked in question. "Yes, that means you too mister. Everyone's getting cleaned up and unfortunately for you, your gun is _not_ going in the shower with you." Before he could even begin to speak, she rushed on ahead, "look, if I had wanted you guys dead, I woulda left you outside. It's safe in here, trust me."

He finally relinquished his weapon; his expression was something akin to sorrow as if he couldn't stand to part with his firearm. He wasn't too keen on being told what to do, especially not by some girl that could be only a few years older than Tammy at the most. He watched as the woman folded her arms across her chest and raised her brows slightly before she spoke. "Vest too buddy. I promise I won't wash it a'cause god knows what's inside those pouches." She gave a small laugh at her own wisecrack before turning her back and heading to another locker. "Y'might wanna hurry up, would be a shame if those three used all the hot water, no?"

There was a slight clang as the other locker was pulled open to reveal laundry supplies, namely little fabric pouches filled with the detergent. The woman grabbed about three of the pouches before gently pushing the metal door shut. When she turned around, she was pleased to see that the man had given in and claimed one of the shower stalls as his own.

It took a few minutes for the decrepit tub to fill with hot water, but it gave her a chance to sort through the clothes. From the looks of them, it was mostly just dirt mud and sweat with a few dried blood splatters here and there. Her face lit up with concern when she got to Scarlet's pants, seeing the hole in the thigh. "Who here took one t'the leg?" A wet hand shot out from one of the shower stalls. "Y'all good? Not bleedin' out in there are ya? I got some stuff you can patch yourself up with in the room. We'll take care of that later, yea?" The hand flashed a quick thumbs up and the woman turned back to the tub full of hot water.

The soap pouches were relatively easy to open and the hot water dissolved the soap quickly. The water turned a rather disgusting color as she scrubbed the filth from the clothes and she hardly noticed that her hands were turning bright red from exposure to water with such a high temperature. One by one she began rinsing the clothes and squeezing out any excess water, hardly noticing when the others had finished their showers and were stepping out wrapped in towels. It took most of her strength not to hungrily eye the half naked man that stood before her. Her eyes flickered downward before focusing on Scarlet and Tammy. "I've got some clothes in my room that'll probably fit you two. But as for you fellas well… I tried to get as much water out of the clothes as possible. I'll go raid a store for you tomorrow or somethin'."

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She clutched the damp clothes to her body and motioned to the M4 with her head, "don't forget your gun, bud." She readjusted the load of clothes so the key to the room was easily accessible. "Let's go get you folks dressed, I'm gonna be doing one last sweep of this floor pretty soon before I lock-down the place."

The group made their way back down the hall, the four who had cleaned up feeling infinitely better now that all the dirt and grime was gone from their bodies. They entered back in to the small room that was even darker than before now that the sun had started to set. The woman set the damp clothes on the empty bed frame and walked over to one of the drawers, forcing it open with a mighty tug. "So uh, the clothes in here are pretty much brand new, feel free to take whatever." She moved back to the bed frame to pick apart the pile of clothes, "and your guys' stuff should be in here, I'll let you pull out your pieces and uh, everyone just turn the other way when you get dressed."

Her eyes were kept downward as the shuffling of clothing could be heard. Fortunately it didn't take long for all of them to become fully clothed. Sweeping her eyes over the room, she made sure everything was still in order before pulling out the small mattresses from underneath the bed frame and lining them up edge to edge on the center of the floor. She unceremoniously pushed the blankets to the edge and motioned for everyone to sit before doing so herself. "Okay, real fast introductions here a'cause you're probably exhausted and just wanna sleep." She pointed to herself. "You guys can call me Ash." One by one, the rest went around the circle, reciting their names and receiving a slight nod from Ash. "Tammy." "Scarlet." "Andy." "Doyle." It took no more than a few seconds but it made Ash feel more at ease. "Scarlet, you're the one who took one to the leg, right?" "Yes ma'am. It's not really bleeding anymore though." Ash tapped her chin and lips thoughtfully, "ok, well if you think you wanna slap some 4-bys and wrap it, I've got some supplies." The older women politely declined with a small shake of her head and flick of her fingers.

"Ok, real brief lowdown here. Lights stay off, especially at night. The infected aren't out only concerns around here. There's quite a bit of food tucked away over here but don't gorge yourself because I don't want anything to go to waste. In the drawers over there, it's mostly just glow sticks, the kind that last 12 hours. I use those to keep some light in here at night just in case. I've got plenty, but 2 usually provide enough light in here. I've got blankets and pillows because sometimes it can get cold and well, you folks pretty much are gonna be sharing a sleeping space. Hopefully you don't mind that _too_ much. The door gets bolted and barricaded at night so make sure you don't have to go pee because it's a pain in the ass to move all that stuff. Deal-io?" Ash managed the miniature speech with only about two breaks for air but she got the point across fairly well she thought. She normally wasn't one for rules but in situations like these, Ash kept things under a tight fist.

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About half an hour later, the door was bolted and barricaded with a set of drawers stacked upon each other. Two glow sticks bathed the room in a gentle green light. Tammy and Andy slept curled up next to each other, Scarlet sleeping on the other side of Tammy. Doyle had yet to flop down on the mattress; instead he was sitting at the edge of the makeshift bed. Ash had hopped up on top of the drawers that blocked the doors, her feet braced against on side of the small entryway and her back on the other wall. Her head was flopped back against the wood. The only sign of life was the slow rise and fall of her chest. She rolled her eyes to the side and glanced at Doyle. "Hey," her voice was already rough with disuse, "get some rest man, you've probably had a longass day." She heard a light huff of laughter coming from the man. "I'm not kidding man, get some fuckin' rest." Another soft huff of laughter broke the silence before he finally spoke. "How long've you been here? What happened to the army?" It was Ash's turn to laugh but it came out more like a snort of amusement. "If we're gonna be discussin' this, I don't wanna wake the others." She slid off her makeshift bed/perch and rubbed her neck before pulling the deadweights away from the door so she could hop between them and the door and just push instead of pull. One hand snaked around in to the closet and grabbed the lanyard with the keys attached and an unused glow stick. "Grab your gun, can never be too sure."

The door was gingerly pulled open and she stepped in to the long hallway, motioning for Doyle to follow. His M4 was slung over he shoulder and the still slightly damp clothes clinging to his fit body. The crack of the glow stick seemed loud in the empty building and the glow lit up almost the entire hallway. It was narrow, barely wide enough for the pair to walk side by side. They reached another door and a small seating area before it branched off in to another hallway. Ash gave a quick glance through the small window in the door before pushing her weight against it to pop it open. No more than two feet away on the right wall was another door. Another key and the small door was popped open. The only thing was a small set of stairs that looked like an awkward hybrid between a ladder and stairs. Ash motioned for Doyle to follow her up.

The rooftop of the building was relatively flat and in surprisingly good condition, seeing as how it was replaced only months before the outbreak. The night air was crisp and refreshing. Doyle let out a low whistle as he glanced around the area, carefully noting the height advantage and good posting points. Should he have to post up here, the only issue would be some of the trees but even then, it wasn't too big of a deal. He cast a glance over at Ash who was sitting dangerously close to the edge of the rooftop, her legs dangling over against the brick side.

"The army wasn't prepared for this. Hell, none of us were. Lotta the kids here tried to get home, some made it and others…well they weren't so lucky. Military tried to keep things under control but the amount of infected pretty much overrun them. Those who survived got picked up and sent off to hell knows where. Some resorted to mercy killin'… Which makes sense I s'ppose." Her voice was shaky, betraying her attempts at composure.

"It was dog eat dog world, man. I was scared to leave my room for a few weeks. Couldn't trust anyone anymore and even now, y'still gotta be careful. When I did get the balls to leave, it was only at night. Infected can't see very well and neither could any other survivors."

"I know you're supposed to respect the dead and all that man, but what was I supposed to do? If I wanted to live, I'd have to drop some of my old morals and adopt new ones. I needed guns for protection, gear, food, supplies. Lotta other people though the same thing too I suppose. Some places still have supplies; most have already been picked over by others. So y'gotta travel further and further and you can only play Russian roulette for so long before you find the round."

There was a soft rustle of clothing and exhalation as Doyle sat down beside her, his gun was placed by his side even though his fingertips never left the cold metal. He felt kind of bad for this girl, not to mention Tammy and Andy. Kids didn't deserve to be put through this, hell, no one did. "What do you mean about the others?" He was mildly intrigued about other survivors and how they had managed to hold out for this long. It seemed that the circumstances here were different to say the least.

Ash chewed on her lip before taking another shaky breath. "Like gangs but not like any gangs I've ever seen. They become so much worse when it's time to fight for survival. They got no issues with cappin' someone if they got supplies that they want or need. Not to mention guns. I seen them take a few people before and if they aren't outright killed, they get left for dead. 'Cept for the girls…" An involuntary shiver ran down her spine spreading goose bumps everywhere as she pressed her hands together, curling her fingers around each other. Doyle remained silent- it didn't take a genius to see where that was going so he didn't press her to elaborate. He wanted to find a way to comfort this girl because she had obviously seen some fucked up shit, shit that was not worth the pain of retelling, but he didn't know how. His hands remained by his sides.

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The darkened night sky had begun to lighten up, though it was nowhere near the time of dawn. "C'mon, you need to get some rest. I probably bored you to tears with all that anyway." Ash hauled herself to her feet, slowly straightening her back as she listened to the slight popping of her bones.

Back in the room the others were still sound asleep and even the gentle scraping of the barricades being pushed back in to place failed to wake them. Doyle ended up claiming a spot on the edge of the makeshift bed and proceeded to lie down, pulling one of the spare blankets over his body. Ash had hopped back up to her small perch in front of the door staring blankly at the wall and fighting back her tears. It took far too long but eventually her silent tears stopped flowing and she drifted off into a light slumber/

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A/N: Holy shitballs mom, that was a relatively long chapter compared to the last one. I hope that this gives a bit more of a back story and what not. There's probably some typos, grammatical errors and maybe some inconsistencies but yeeeaaah. Hopefully there won't be many errors, but it's like 3 AM and my reviewing skills tend to decline as hours pass.

As usual, reviews and constructive criticism are always welcomed here.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N:

**Dmfritsc:** I think it's the only lovable disease… Hopefully this chapter doesn't disappoint!

**Rockndasha:** /victory fist pump/ I'm glad you enjoy Ash! And don't you worry; I will play with the strings of fate for that to happen (as if it were an option to _not_ happen.. pfft). And who _doesn't_ love the thought of half naked Doyle (or Renner in general for that matter)…

_**Disclaimer**_: I own nothing except my own ideas and characters (unfortunately).

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The room had lightened slightly with the arrival of day and Ash opened her eyes with a groan. Her back and neck weren't going to forgive her any time soon for how she slept. She turned her head to the side and saw that Doyle was already wide awake and giving her an odd look. "G'mornin' sunshine," she managed to choke out before rubbing her sore throat. " 'm not even gonna ask how you're up this early…" She saw Doyle's face break in to a small grin before he moved to gently nudge Scarlet awake. It took a few moments for all of them to wake up and start functioning at some degree.

Ash slid off the drawers with another groan, hardly daring to move her head and neck. Her face twisted into a grimace as she decided to 'man up' and deal with the pain. She took a few moments to rub the sleep from her eyes before speaking. "Normally I do most my sleeping during the day, don't ask why. But I only managed to get medical supplies yesterday and you two," she pointed to Doyle and Andy, "could probably use some new clothes, yeah?" Neither of them answered her question so she gave a slight shrug. "Plus I could prob'ly stock up on more food. She looked at Scarlet, "I'd have you go with me, but you should probably rest and give your leg some time to heal. So me an' Doyle are gonna go grab supplies so I'll leave you in charge of keeping everything in line here. Is that okay?" Scarlet gave a slight nod rubbed the sleep from her eyes again and Ash smiled warmly. "Thank, I really appreciate it."

With that, Ash grabbed another set of too large fatigues and quickly pulled the ones she was wearing off. She wasn't too self conscious about what the others thought, especially seeing as how she has a small pair of shorts on underneath as well as a black sports bra. After the ill fitting clothes were adjusted and her feet laced up in boots, she grabbed the cloth sack and the set of shoe laces. Moving to the closet she grabbed the keys as well as a knife that she shoved in to her boot. Without turning around she addressed Doyle, "can you grab the M16 and a few mags for me?" She heard the sliding of the closet door and the sound of the gun being grabbed. Ash grabbed a hair tie and quickly pulled her hair back into a tight bun before reaching for her firearm.

"We good t'go?" Doyle gave her a curt nod and she pulled the barricades away from the door before stepping in to the hallway. The pair moved down the flights of stairs, neither of them spoke a word until they were outside. Her eyes squinted against the harsh sunlight.

"Okay, there's a Target about 2 miles north of here. I don't think many people are gonna be out today but if you do see a person, I'll let you use your judgment to decide if you want to shoot or not." Ash kept her gun down by her side but was ready to snap it up at any moment. Doyle did the same, though his stance was more relaxed due to his extensive time spent around firearms. The two began walking north, careful to avoid most of the cars that were still in the streets. It was painfully silent between the two as Ash began searching her brain for something to say. "So.. uhh…" "Hmm?" "Where were you stationed before you ended up here?" "Britain. They had just started letting people back in to the country and then there was another outbreak." Ash's lips formed a small _o_ as he continued. "They called a code red and went to level the city after fire bombing it. Scarlet and I managed to keep the kids safe and then we ended up here."

Ash's eyes narrowed as she began to piece the puzzle together. "Jesus. I wouldn't be too surprised if that were to happen here though. I haven't seen an infected for a while, mostly just other survivors." The conversation lapsed back in to silence. Nearly 20 minutes had passed before the two caught sight of any stores. Ash and Doyle hesitated for a moment, listening carefully. They caught the faint sound of footsteps and voices. "_Shit._" They caught sight of a small group of about 7 other survivors, armed to the teeth with a multitude of weapons. Unfortunately, the other group caught sight of them as well.

"Hey. You there. Yeah, you two. C'mere." Ash hesitated slightly and shot a glance at Doyle. "My spidey-senses are saying that this is going to be a horrible idea but I really don't want to get shot right now." She paused and sighed, "I'm gonna trust your shooting skills here, alright?" She spoke quickly and in hushed tones, lest the others should hear. Doyle just gave her a side glance, it was unspoken that he understood.

Ash walked towards the other group slowly, stopping when she was about 15 feet away. Her hands were held up slightly, signifying that she wasn't going to draw her weapon. "Can I help you folks?" One of the men stepped forward slightly and she assumed that he was the leader, "yeah. We need any supplies that you have." Ash frowned slightly, "sorry guys, we don't have any on us, we were actually about to make a supply run right now." "Bullshit. We seen you all the time, you always got shit on you. Besides, that's a nice gun you've got on ya." The group took another step forward and Ash took a step back. "Sorry boys but I kinda need my guns 'cause, y'know the infected and all that…" "I think you got bigger problems than th'infected right now hun." His words sent a chill down her spine.

Ash cringed slightly, her eyes narrowed as she tried to rapidly assess the situation and form a plan. She really didn't want to start a fight but from the looks of how things were going, she didn't have much of a choice. "I think it'd be best for you guys to go your way, and we'll go ours. Deal?" The other group gave each other a quick glance before one of the men rushed at her.

Dropping her firearm to the ground she quickly shoved it away before sprinting to meet the man, dropping in to a half crouch before they collided. Her shoulder caught him right at the hips and drove him back slightly before her arms wrapped around the back of his knees. With a mighty squeeze, a pull and a shoving of weight she brought the man to the ground in a quality rugby tackle. She rolled from the momentarily stunned man, pulling the knife from her boot and slashed at another man that was heading her direction. She drew blood but it did nothing to slow him.

She felt his body slam in to hers and the next thing she knew, she was best friends with the concrete. Fortunately, she didn't land on the knife but it did end up a few feet away. With a groan she slowly rolled on to her back, only to feel the weight of a person on top of her body. A hand clamped down around her neck, threatening to cut off her air supply if she didn't act fast and her legs were pinned between those of the attacker's. Panicking as her oxygen supply began to dwindle, Ash writhed about, trying to dig her thumbs in to her assailant's eyes. She had managed to claw at his face but that was it. Both were oblivious to the sound of gunfire that surrounded them.

Suddenly the steel clamp around her neck loosened and she felt a spray of warmth hit her face. With a grunt she rolled the deadweight from atop her body and began coughing furiously, tears stinging her eyes. Ash glanced up when Doyle's figure blocked the sun from her eyes before he moved to crouch with one knee braced against the ground. A mixture of emotions was written across his face as he studied Ash's own blood splattered face. He started slightly as the scared girl flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck so she could bury her face in his shoulder.

The sergeant awkwardly wrapped his arms around the traumatized young woman, one arm holding her tight while the other gently rubbed her back to try and comfort her. He was unsure what to say to Ash and figured it would be best to just let her cry and hold on for a few moments. When she finally pulled away, her eyes were still bloodshot and she was sniffling mildly. "I'm so sorry," she managed to choke out with a shaky breath. Doyle gave her a half hearted smile and brushed a few strands of hair from her face. "It's okay, don't worry about it."

He gave her a few moments to collect her thoughts and wipe some of the blood splatter from her face before offering the firearm and knife back to Ash. "Let's not tell them about this? O-okay?" "Of course. We don't want them to worry," Doyle answered knowingly. And so they picked up the pieces and continued to head towards Target.

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The store was picked over for the most part. Some clothes lay scattered about as well as food that other survivors deemed 'undersirable'. Ash opened the cloth sack and grabbed some of the food supplies, things like trail mix and granola bars because they were still pretty edible even after their expiration date. "Alright, let's find some stuff for you and Andy." She managed to cram a good amount of clothes in to the sack before it threatened not to close. Ash finally strapped the sack to her back with minimal aid from Doyle. A quick glance outside told them that it was probably close to 1 or 2 PM.

"Y'ready to head back?" "Yeah. Have we got everything we need?" "Yeah. We only really needed clothes for you two, so I think we're good to go. If you're hungry we can grab whatever food is left and eat it on the way back." Doyle nodded in affirmation and so they grabbed another box of granola bars to eat on the way back.

"I don't know about you, but I am ready for a nap," Ash said with a slight quiver in her laugh. She hadn't stopped trembling but was using many had movements to try and hide the fact that she wasn't okay.

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A/N: Eeeeyuuup. Same as always, review etc etc.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N:

**Rockndasha: **Unf. Yeeessss.

**Dmfritsc:** : D I'm so glad that the consensus is that J. Renner is a gloriously attractive man, no matter what.

_**Disclaimer**_: I own nothing except my own ideas and characters (unfortunately).

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The pair did one last sweep of the store for any necessary supplies before they left through the glass doors. The journey back to the building seemed much shorter but no less exhausting especially after the previous incident. Already she could feel the bumps and bruises forming. Ash knew that she would feel more of the effects later on and was _not_ looking forward to it.

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They hiked up to the third floor and the wave of fatigue that hit Ash nearly sent her to her knees. Her hand shot out for the railing, barely keeping her balance and Doyle's hand wrapped around her arm just in case. Steadying herself, she reached a hand in to one of the pockets on her pants and pulled out the lanyard with keys, unlocking the door to the floor. The two made their way to the room door and Ash unlocked it, slowly stepping inside. The rest of the group was still inside looking bored to tears.

Tammy was the first to look over, "you look like shit." Ash let out a short bark of laughter. "Yeah well, it feels like it too, trust me." Her weapon was already tucked back away in the closet by the time Doyle stepped in and shut the door. Her fingers fumbled slightly at the ties for the shoe laces before finally managing to undo them. It took only a bit longer to remove the boots but eventually those were off too.

"Look you guys can go wander around if you want, just stick together and take my keys. And take Doyle or Scarlet with you just in case. I don't want you two running in to trouble or anything," Ash inclined her head towards Tammy and Andy with a slight smile. "It gets boring in here, I know."

A look of excitement crossed the younger kids' faces as they were pretty much released. Scarlet walked over towards Doyle and the pair began conferring with each other in hushed tones. "But you look like you could use some fresh air Scarlet; it'll be a nice break from being stuck inside." A few more moments of hushed whispering and Scarlet gave in. She cast a glance at Ash who was pulling her hair tie lose and gingerly massaging her scalp with the occasional grimace. "I'll be taking Tammy and Andy out." "Oh sure, no prob. Just grab the keys and a gun." The older woman nodded and grabbed the keys, slipping the lanyard around her neck before grabbing a firearm of her choice from the weapons closet. "Okay kids, let's go poke around here a bit, yeah?" They all but jumped with joy.

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The door had shut with a gentle click and only moments after they left did Ash collapse on to the makeshift bed. She let out a muffled groan as she rolled to her side and right on a large bruise that was developing on her thigh. Deciding that being on her side was too painful, she rolled back on to her stomach. Doyle glanced at the weary girl before lowering himself to the floor and stretching his legs out in front of him, "are you gonna be okay?" "Honestly? No. Have I dealt with possibly worse things before? Yes. But man, everyone has their breaking point and… and…." She trailed off as her voice cracked and squeezed her eyes shut to try and stop the tears. This was the first time she had been that close to death. She heard Doyle shift around and she involuntarily stiffened when she felt his palm on her back, the warmth of his hand traveling through her layers of clothing. He wasn't much good and comforting but he'd be damned if he didn't try.

"Hey, it's gonna be ok, alright? We're safe here y'know?" Her response to that was muffled as she buried her face in to the pillow. Ash felt some of the tension slip away as his hand began to rub small circles up by her knotted shoulders. Doyle chose not to comment on just how knotted her shoulders were, plus he figured that she already knew how bad it was. She cringed slightly at the flashes of pain as the sergeant's thumb dug in to work out the knots but soon the pain dissipated. Her head turned slightly to the side, "where'd you learn to do that? Feels amazing." He responded with a slight shrug before pulling his hand away.

In those few moments, Ash realized just how much she missed human contact. Before she ran in to these four, she couldn't remember the last time she had human contact. Pulling herself up to a sitting position she managed to scoot closer to Doyle before she was pressed up against his shoulder. He gave her a look of surprise as if he was unsure of what she was doing. " 'm sorry," she mumbled now slumping against his arm. "Hey, kid. You're gonna wake up feeling even worse if you sleep sitting up. C'mon go back to the bed. I'm not gonna leave you, don't worry." Doyle swore he could almost see heartbreak in her eyes. "It's okay, don't worry. I'm right here," he reassured the girl who had finally found a comfortable spot on her side. He very gently pulled the blankets over her form, his fingers lasting a few seconds longer than necessary before pulling away from her arm.

He was about to fold his hands in his lap when two of Ash's fingers managed to curl around his hand and very slowly the rest of her fingers wrapped themselves around his hand too. At last she looked peaceful and Doyle was more than willing to let her keep hold of his hand if that meant she would rest easy.

They stayed like this for quite some time with Doyle occasionally brushing his thumb over the back of her hand whenever her face would twist in to a grimace. Soon, Doyle was able to feel the tension and pressure growing in his back from sitting so awkwardly. Carefully, as not to disturb the girl, he shifted to a more comfortable position on the floor. "Hey, Ash," he murmured and the girl cracked her eyes open. "Hmm?" Her eyes snapped open when she realized that she was clinging to his hand. Almost instantly she withdrew her hand and the man gave her a slight smile before shifting to stand and stretch his cramping muscles.

At some point he had removed his combat boots and BDU vest. She wasn't too sure how he'd managed that one but Ash didn't want to think too hard about it. He had moved to the other side of the conglomeration of mattresses and blankets and lay down, falling asleep shortly thereafter. As Ash listened to the gentle breathing of the man, she realized that it was rather comforting. It didn't take long for her to slip back in to sleep.

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At some point she had shifted closer to Doyle until only inches separated their bodies. The gentle warmth that his body was emitting reassured Ash of his presence and she scooted in closer, pressing her back up against the man's muscled chest. Her subconscious mind noted that he smelled slightly of gunpowder and sweat.

A few minutes later and Doyle's right arm was draped across her body, holding her slight frame closer to his. A contented sigh escaped the sleeping woman's lips.

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The slight creak of the door opening as Scarlet stuck her head inside failed to wake the two. When she saw what was going on, she quickly pulled her head back and shut the door. "They're sleeping and both could really use the rest. C'mon, let's go explore some more!" With that, she led Tammy and Andy back down the stairs and outside.

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A/N: D'AWW THEY'RE SO PRECIOUS. The scene was so full of fail, I'm so sorry guys! ;_;

R&R


	5. Chapter 5

A/N:

**Dmfritsc:** Good, I'm glad! :D

_**Disclaimer**_: I own nothing except my own ideas and characters (unfortunately).

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Doyle's eyes snapped open and for a moment he was frozen in place. Carefully noting the precariousness of the current situation, he very slowly and very gently lifted his arm from around Ash's sleeping form. Fortunately, she remained fast asleep even as he inched away, lest someone should enter the room and see what was happening.

He exhaled softly as he successfully moved without waking the woman. A gentle shake of the head wasn't enough to clear his mind of distracting thoughts. Of how small her frame was, the slight lavender scent from her shampoo and the suppleness of her skin. Another shake of his head, no, he couldn't allow himself to think like that, it wasn't _right_.

The sergeant watched and she shivered slightly from the sudden loss of the heat source, a small furrow appearing in her brows. There was something that drew him to her and as it was, Doyle held a great deal of respect for the woman. Somehow she had survived on her own for lord knows how long. She was rather creative at times, doing things in slightly unconventional ways and had probably trained herself to shoot as well.

He watched as she rolled slightly and the hem of the shirt rode up just a tiny bit but enough to send a shiver through her body as the cold air assaulted the pale skin. Her sleepy hand fumbled about for the blankets and when she was unable to find them, Ash settled for yanking the shirt down and moving to her stomach.

With a mild grunt, Doyle got to his feet and took a few quick steps to stare at the stash of food, pondering what would be worth eating. None of the food really looked appetizing and most of it was snack type food simply because those had the farthest expiration dates. He wouldn't deny the fact that he missed 'real' food, even fast food, as unhealthy as it was, had a certain appeal to it.

Granola bar in mouth, Doyle turned back around to glance at the sleeping girl. He'd be lying if he were to say that he wasn't worried about her, of the possibility of a concussion but he wasn't the medical expert so he figured he'd wait for Scarlet to come back to check on the girl and make sure everything was in working order.

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About an hour later the remaining three members of the group made their way back in to the room, Tammy and Andy's cheeks were flushed with exertion and excitement. Scarlet was looking happier as well, the sun and fresh air had really helped her. She opened her mouth to address Doyle, but he held up a finger to hush her.

"Scarlet, we had a bit of an… '_incident_' while we were out today and she took quite a few solid blows. When she wakes up, you wanna just run a fast assessment on her?" The woman looked at him curiously, a brow perked in question as her lips hinted at a smile. "Did she take any to the head?" "Probably, she got nailed to the ground fairly hard and was being choked…" "Where were you in all of this?" She fought to keep her voice hushed. "I couldn't get a clear shot; she was thrashing about too much…" She sighed softly and nodded, conceding to his wishes.

The woman moved about the room, finding the small amount of medical supplies, mildly surprised at the variety of tools. She quickly took note of what was in stock just to be safe. Her hand reached out for a small penlight, testing it to make sure it works. Satisfied that it was in working condition, Scarlet moved towards the sleeping girl and kneeled on the mattress.

"Hey, Ash. Ash honey, wake up," the woman nudged the girl's shoulders for a few moments before she actually responded but only with a confused groan. Scarlet nodded to Doyle, "help me sit her up, will you?" Together the pair maneuvered the sleepy and confused girl in to a sitting position, her head just barely able to rest upon the bed frame. "Ash, you with us right now? Look at me." Scarlet watched as the girl's blue eyes rolled about, trying to focus on her surroundings. When they finally focused on Scarlet, she let out a soft sigh of relief. It took her a little while to focus, yes, but it was better than not at all.

"Ash, I want you to look straight ahead, ok?" She received a sleepy nod from the girl. Penlight in hand, Scarlet shielded Ash's eyes from the extra light before shining the concentrated beam of light into each of the girl's eyes, watching as they constricted. Scarlet let out a soft _hmph_ and set the light down. The responses were delayed a tiny bit but she wasn't horrible concerned.

The woman continued her assessment and deemed Ash to be a-okay. The bruises, cuts and scratches weren't something to be concerned about because they'd heal relatively fast even though the soreness would remain for quite some while. "Go take a warm shower, see if that helps any, okay?" She patted the blonde on the head before rising to her feet.

Ash resisted the urge to smile as Scarlet began to act like a step-in mother. She slowly rose to her feet, using the solid bed frame to help pull herself up. "Just leave the door unlocked, yeah?" The woman nodded as the exhausted girl made her way out of the room to head down the hall.

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Getting undressed for the shower was a painfully slow and tedious process. Every muscle ached and just the slightest brushing of fabric against her bruises sent waves of pain throughout her body. She carelessly dropped the clothes on the tiled floor outside the shower stall before turning on the water and flinching as she was hit with a cold spray. Ash skittered to the corners of the shower in an attempt to evade the icy water before it warmed up.

At first it was painful to have the water beating down upon her skin but then the pain slowly began to dwindle away, allowing her to move a bit more freely. She let her arms fall down to her sides as the water rushed over her and streamed down her face. With a shaky inhalation she pressed her grungy hands to her face as though the pressure would aid her in forgetting. Her hand moved to strike the slick tile wall but instead just slid down the cool surface. The other hand curled in to a fist, short nails biting deep in to her palm and leaving small crescent shaped marks.

Ash slumped against the wall, slowly sliding down until she was sitting on the floor with her legs splayed out in front of her. Her head fell back against the wall, causing her to wince slightly as she hit a sore spot. She didn't know how long she sat there with her mind wandering but the sudden sound of the door opening and Dole's voice snapped her back to reality.

She nearly slipped as she scrambled to her feet, hurriedly calling out, "uh yeah I'm almost done just, uh, gimme like two seconds." Ash speed washed her hair and tried to avoid the sore spot the best she could.

A few minutes later she shut the water off, her hand shooting outside the vinyl curtain to grab one of the towels and begins briskly drying herself off before wrapping the towel around her nude body. Her hand clutched the top of the towel just incase the fabric decided that it didn't want to stay.

The man quickly averted his eyes before focusing slightly to the side of her head. "Scarlet sent me here 'cause it's been nearly an hour. She would have come but…" He trailed off realizing that Scarlet never really said why she wanted him, of all people, to go. Doyle looked at her almost sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. This action brought a faint smile to Ash's lips, "don't trip, it's all good."

She made her way to the door, careful not to slip on the slightly wet tile as she pitter-pattered out from the bathroom. Doyle trailed not too far behind, glancing at the various wooden doors and raising a brow as he read some of the papers that were taped up. "Flux shirt Fridays? Why wear a shirt Wednesdays? Is there something I'm missing?" Ash let out a snort and laughed, "oh no. Those girls were a little off the wall. I don't even know who made that up to be honest." "Are you able to get in to the other rooms?" The girl shook her head slightly. "Nah, all the personal doors use different keys. But I'm sure there's ways to bust the door open, why?"

He just shrugged, "curiosity, that's all." She accepted his answer with a slight shrug before glancing at him and speaking in a teasing tone. "What, you lookin' for a room all to yourself?" The comment earned her a smile and laugh accompanied with a slight shake of his head. "You're really something, y'know that?" Had she been facing his direction, Doyle would have seen the slight smirk in response to his comment.

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Scarlet glanced up with a slight smile as Ash stepped in to the room. "Good, I was beginning to worry."

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A/N: So like halfway through writing this I hit a super gloomy mood, buuut I tried to keep it outta here the best I could. Sorry if this chapter isn't up to par! D:

Also, I wish I was kidding about the whole Flux shirt Friday thing, some girls at my friend's dorm have a sign like that taped to their door...


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Y'all had best be happy. I pulled an all nighter for this. (Srsly, if that's not dedication…) On a more serious note, I hope this chapter isn't too bleh. I feel bad for not publishing so I quick whipped something up. I apologize in advance for any typos or mistakes etc. (_It is almost 2AM after all)_

**rockndasha:** To be quite honest, I'm not too sure. I'll probably be posting a link to the sign on my profile by the time this is published. The only reason I have a pic of the sign is cause I thought it was hilarious and worth capturing xD. I'm glad you enjoy the story!

**Savyleec:** Your wish is my command /extravagant bow/ I didn't mean for that to sound dirty if it did.

_**Disclaimer**_: I own nothing except my own ideas and characters (unfortunately).

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Ash had lost track of the days and weeks as the crew settled down in to a daily routine. The outside world had calmed and now the only thing they were worried about was dying from boredom. They spent the majority of their time outside, basking in the last bit of the summer sun before fall came with its crisp air and changing leaves. Even Ash had to admit it was nice; she welcomed the lack of loneliness with open arms.

It had taken a few days of backbreaking work but eventually with the help of Doyle and Scarlet, she managed to pry open the doors to the rooms beside her own. The rooms were slightly messy due to the occupants leaving in such a hurry but there were beds and sheets so nobody was willing to complain. For communication purposes they also punched small holes in the bordering walls. Not large enough to fit through but big enough to see in to the other room with some amount of ease.

Scarlet agreed to continue sharing rooms with Ash that was Doyle could have his own privacy and Tammy and Andy could remain together. They had managed to replace the locks on the doors so they didn't have to worry about key confusion. Of course it had been rather tricky to get a third key but eventually they found a hardware store that had the proper tools for key copying.

Every few weeks they would make a supply run but each time they would have to travel progressively farther. The supply trips were some of the few times that the group bothered to arm themselves and now they traveled as a group instead of pairs.

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Everyone had agreed that it was a nice afternoon to spend outside, especially with the change in seasons rapidly approaching.

Ash and Tammy were sprawled on the cool grass under one of the large trees that dotted the grassy area surrounding the building. The temperature would fluctuate every so often as a cool breeze swirled about them, bringing relief to their warming skins. Scarlet sat not too far from them, propped up against the trunk of the tree with her nose buried in some random book she had grabbed from the campus's library. Doyle and Andy had a small towel flattened on the grass between them as the sergeant was showing the boy how to clean the weapons.

Normally he would have disapproved this action but considering the circumstances they were in, he figured that it would be okay.

Every so often Ash would pry open her eyes and squint against the brilliant light before nudging Tammy to roll over. "Don't wanna turn to a lobster do ya?" Ash teased playfully as she rolled to her stomach and used her arms as a pillow. The warmth was making her sleepy and her mind eagerly welcomed the concept of a nice nap.

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The day seemed to rush by far too quickly for the group's liking and before they knew it the sun began to dip lower into the sky, turning the blue into a brilliant shade of orange and red. With night came the cool air, forcing them back inside where they all piled in to Ash's room for dinner. That was one thing they continued to do; something about eating meals together made them feel more like a family.

They all sat in a circle on the floor eating an assortment of microwaveable foods. At first none of them were too fond of the food but before long, it started to grow on them and they learned how to mix things up to make better meals. Tonight it was a mixture of Mexican foods, which everyone seemed to enjoy.

Before long, they split up to return to their respective rooms, locking and barricading the doors even though there were no obvious signs of danger. Ash smiled grimly as they could all hear the dull scrapings of furniture against carpet. "Old habits die hard," she mused silently as she unblocked the holes in the walls so they could all communicate if need be.

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It didn't take long for Scarlet to doze off into a contented sleep but Ash wasn't so fortunate. She remained huddled under the blankets for quite some time, struggling to control the strange shivers that were wracking her body and making it impossible to get comfortable. The cocoon of blankets was failing to keep her warm or break the chill. She wasn't sure how long it took but eventually Ash managed to drift off in to the realm of sleep.

Her slumber wasn't restful and numerous times her eyes would snap open in the darkness as she struggled to calm her breathing. Nightmares weren't a new concept for her but there was something about her dreams that was disturbing to Ash's very core. Deep within her mind she knew that come morning, none of this would be remembered. But morning didn't seem to come fast enough.

The gentle morning light was just barely beginning to creep through the blinds that were drawn shut over the window when Ash awoke once more. This time, when her eyes shot open, Scarlet's worried face filled her field of vision. "Ash, are you okay? You're burning up and you were screaming in your sleep." Ash could only raise her eyebrow in question as she felt a gentle flush creep across her cheeks. "Well at least that explains why I was so cold last night." She let out a slight groan as she went to move her body, it felt like she had been hit by a train. Hell, even her skin was aching.

Scarlet's brows knitted together as she watched the younger woman slowly inch to the side of the mattress in obvious discomfort. "Is there anything you want me to get you? You should probably be resting…" Ash let her head fall back against the pillow with a sigh. "Yeah, find the white bottle of ibuprofen, the 800 one. I'll take one of those." The woman chose not to question why the girl wanted such a strong dosage but merely complied, handing over one of the large pills.

Ash pulled herself into a sitting position and shoved the pill into her mouth, taking it dry. Her face twisted into a slight grimace as she worked the medication down without any water but eventually she managed to get it down. When she glanced up she saw Doyle's concerned face peering through the hole in the wall. He'd be lying if he said the girl's sleeping screams hadn't scared him awake. He cast a glance at Scarlet, motioning for her to come over to his room before he covered up the hole in the wall. Ash didn't need to hear what they would be discussing.

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"Scarlet, what was she screaming about?" The woman could only shake her head sadly and let out a heavy sigh in response. "I-I honestly don't know Doyle. She just started screaming. Whatever it was, it had her scared pretty bad." The sergeant frowned slightly at the response; it seemed odd that after being with them so long that she would now start to have such disturbing dreams. "I'm probably just over thinking this. Everyone has a bad dream now and then," the thought tumbled around his mind but had yet to satisfy him. "Is she running a fever?" "Yeah. She was burning up when I woke her. The ibuprofen should help with her aches though. If anything she probably just caught the cold or the flu ." Doyle hummed softly, his mind immediately thinking about the worst case scenario- the possibly of the virus mutating and changing.

The woman could see his wheels turning and she gingerly placed a hand on his shoulder. "I doubt it's anything serious. Besides we've had absolutely no contact with any outsiders so there's no chance it's what you think." Her gentle words seemed to ease his troubled mind.

She found it precious how concerned the sharpshooter was about Ash's condition. At one time she may have found his compassion mildly disconcerting, seeing as how there was probably a 4-5 year age gap but now, things were different. Scenarios such as this had an uncanny ability to bring people together in different ways.

"If you're that concerned about her nightmare, you could try and talk to her I suppose," the woman helpfully suggested with a slight shrug of her shoulders. "But chances are it was just a bad dream, fevers can do strange things to the mind."

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Scarlet returned to the shared room with Doyle trailing behind. Since it was day now, the doors to all 3 rooms were left propped open to allow each other access. Ash was leaned up against one of the bed frames, her face pressed against the cool metal. The majority of her achiness was gone so movement wasn't painful anymore but she was still fluctuating from being chilled to burning hot. A fatigued smile came to her face as the two walked into the room. "G'mornin sunshine. Sorry for my, ah, sudden impersonation of an alarm clock this morning. It must not have been a pleasant awakening." Ash chuckled softly at her own joke.

Doyle let out an amused laugh at the girl's off kilter commentary before plopping down across from her, his eyes studying her with a strange intensity that didn't quite match the words he spoke. "Do you remember what happened in your dream?" "Ash pursed her lips and glanced down at her thumbs, twiddling them now. "Nooooo," came the exasperated drawl. She would prefer to avoid the truth if she could. Doyle sighed, "are you sure about that, I mean-" He was cut off by Ash's sudden scowl. "Honestly, I would prefer not to talk about it. Kind of a sensitive topic for me."

The man tilted his head slightly to the side, curiosity slowly getting the better of him. He opened his mouth to speak once more, to question what was so horrible to be discussed when Ash abruptly changed the course of the conversation.

"Sorry, forgot this shit makes me tired. I'm gonna take a nap. Wake me if anything important happens." Her tone was sour and on the inside her heart was aching with the treatment she was giving Doyle. The girl crawled under her mass of blankets and hugged them to her chest, trying to ignore the nagging voice in the back of her head.

_You're gonna have to tell someone eventually y'know. Can't keep secrets for forever. It's eating you up inside, having to live with that pain. __**Oh yeah, because throwing my problems at someone else is a much better alternative. They've got enough problems to worry about without my assistance. **__I'm just saying Ash, it's for the better. Besides, maybe it'll help you get over it._ The girl let out an amused snort as she battled her own internal monologue. _**Yeah right, fat chance of that happening.**__**Besides, what they don't know won't hurt them and it's not like it causes any problems with how I function…**__ Except when you wake people up with your screams. __**Yeah, whatever. I'll just pull some bull and tell them it was some spider or clown related thing. I'm over that. It happened like 2 years ago anyway.**__ Funny, you don't sound over it to me… __**Oh piss off.**_

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A/N: So our beloved is running a fever and having nightmares. Oh my.

So the _italics_ represent one train of thought while the _**bolded italics**_ represent Ash's own thoughts. Sorta like the whole nagging voice in the back of your head type situation. Hopefully It isn't too confusing.

Anyway, I apologize again for the lack of updates with this story, hopefully this chapter is considered to be acceptable.

**R&R**


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Many thanks and much love to my dedicated reviewers. I really couldn't do it without you lovely folks!

I shall attempt not to suffocate my newest reviewers with love but no promises can be made…

**Savyleec:** Thank you for the review!

**Xoxoktk: **Thank you so much for the kind words! It made my day!

**Hope and love:** Well you're just too sweet. Thank you so much!

_**Disclaimer**_: I own nothing except my own ideas and characters (unfortunately).

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Ash remained inside, curled up in her nest of blankets, for the majority of the day. Every so often Scarlet would pop her head in and check up on the girl. Doyle hadn't moved from his spot and even when Scarlet offered to watch over the girl he refused to end his vigil.

"Ash..?" "What." "I'm sor-" The girl snapped the blankets down from her face and turned to give the man a peeved look. "Don't. Don't apologize. You didn't do it." The man sighed inwardly; at least she was speaking- unlike before. However it was obvious that she was rather conflicted with her emotions. "I can leave if you wa-" "No." Her tone remained curt and the tension in the room only grew.

An awkward silence descended on the pair once more. The clock seemed to tick slower but when the silence was broken, this time it was Ash who spoke. "I should be the one apologizing. You sure as hell don't need me to treat you like this and my being sick sure as hell isn't an excuse either." She slowly dragged herself up and hugged the blankets tighter to try and stop the shivers. "It was just a bad memory, y'know? The ones that you try to forget but never can…" Ash trailed off, unsure if she should even bother to continue. She glanced up at Doyle, confused as to why he was motioning for her to move towards him but regardless, she complied.

He wasn't worried about getting sick, obviously something was troubling the poor girl but he didn't want to push the fact. As she scooted towards his side, the man's arm reached out to wrap around Ash's trembling shoulders. Even through all of his clothes he was able to feel the heat radiating from her feverish body. "Hey, it's gonna be okay, got it? You got me, Scarlet and hell, you even got the other kids." "Yeah but for how long? How much longer can we live like this?" Her hand motioned to the small confines of the room. Doyle squeezed her arm reassuringly, "I don't think any of us are planning on going anywhere." He watched as the girl gave a slight smiled and nod before resting her head on his chest and nestling her face in to the soft fabric of his clothes.

They sat like that for quite some time; her head resting gently on his chest, listening to the steady beating of his heart as his arm remained wrapped securely around her. Ash's shivers had stopped for the time being and her breathing was slow and steady. He glanced down, expecting her to be asleep but instead found her to be staring blankly at the door as if she didn't really see it.

"I could've saved her." "Hmm?" "The girl. I could've saved her, but instead I just sat there, hiding. I watched as they raped her and left her for the infected." Doyle glanced down at the distressed girl and stroked her hair to try and soothe her. "Ash, what's done is done and nothing can change that... If you would have stepped in to help her, who knows what they would have done to you. You can't always be the hero, sometimes you have to put yourself before others." He wasn't one for giving very good pick-me-up speeches; he preferred to just physically be there for someone so that's what he did.

Doyle gently pulled the girl into his lap and sat her sideways so she could continue to rest up against him. His arm remained wrapped around her, occasionally moving to stroke her hair. He listened to her soft sniffs and glanced down at her, frowning slightly. The girl had a look of concentration on her face and he didn't want to interrupt her thoughts so he remained silent.

_Aw, that's sweet. Now why don't you finish your little story? **How about no? Last thing he needs is to bear my burden too. He's got enough weighing on him right now and the last thing I wanna do is pile my shit on to someone else.** Fine, suit yourself. Just know, it's not my fault. _

He felt the girl in his hold slowly relax, seemingly at ease once more. Still her body burned hot with fever and before long the chills and aches were coming back in full force. She shifted slightly, turning to face him even more. Sleep wasn't here to welcome her with open arms so she continued to stare off at the wall in a daze.

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They stayed this way for the better part of an hour before Ash let out a frustrated huff that was oddly coupled with a laugh. Doyle's eyes cracked open to peer down at the girl, a bemused expression on his face.

"I'm sorry I just thought that our current situation was kinda funny. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd end up like this… Cooped up in a room, running a fever and pretty much mashed up some guy I hardly even know. Not to mention the whole zombie thing…" She trailed off with a half hearted laugh and shake of her head.

Doyle let out a laugh of his own and the girl reveled in the way his body would move, the slight vibration in his chest and gentle shake of his shoulders that accompanied the sound. "Maybe you should get wilder dreams then." It was a simple remark but it helped to alleviate any tension that still stood in the room.

After that simple remark they settled back into the silence. Ash sank further into his grasp with a contented huff. Fortunately sleep chose to welcome her this time. She didn't even stir when the sergeant shifted slightly to prevent his limbs from falling asleep. He managed to stare at the barren walls of the room for a couple more minutes before deciding he was undoubtedly bored. Doyle didn't want to move the girl, the least he could do was let her sleep and his discomfort was a small sacrifice he was willing to make. Besides, he didn't think it was that bad, at least he didn't have to worry about being cold when she was running a fever. His lips twisted into a wry grin at the thought before he let his head slump back against the frame of the bed.

Not the most comfortable thing he decided, but it would do. It felt like an eternity but eventually sleep welcomed him too.

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A/N: Sorry for the short chapter but yeah. I should be able to update more regularly soon but don't hold me to it!


	8. Author's Note

So chances are I'm going to be ending this fic. My muse for it has kinda died and I don't want it to just drag out and be pointless.

I'm not 100% sure yet though.

I'm sorry folks.


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